War Cry Of ‘Nawa-e-Afghan Jihad’ Renamed As ‘Nawa-e-Ghazwa-e-Hind’: How Indian Ulema Address The Resurgence Of Afghan Taliban?
Nawa-e-Afghan
Jihad—Urdu Mouthpiece Of The Afghan Taliban And AQIS Which Has Previously Been
Refuted Point By Point By New Age Islam Scholars— Was Recently Renamed As
“Nawa-e-Ghazwa-e-Hind”
Main
Points:
1. There are
continuous suggestions from several Indian commentators to engage and dialogue
with the Afghan Taliban after their resurgence in their traditional
strongholds.
2. Dialogue
with terrorist ideologues may not be a bad idea but such an outreach should be
backed by an assessment on the new dynamics and ground realities.
3. Afghan
Taliban remains unchanged and unreformed, as far as its ideological modus
operandi is concerned.
4. It gives an
indication that now after an apparently successful jihad by the Afghan Taliban
and AQIS against the American forces in Afghanistan, India is the priority
theatre for their onslaughts.
5. Favourable
sentiments among a section of Indian Ulema towards the resurgence of Afghan
Taliban do not augur well.
------
New
Age Islam Correspondent
31 July
2021
There are
continuous suggestions from several Indian commentators to give ‘peace
overtures’ to the Afghan Taliban after their resurgence in their traditional
strongholds. Some of these commentators have even urged New Delhi not to
perceive the Taliban as a Pakistan-sponsored terror instrument, and engage and
dialogue with it to pursue its own interests. According to media reports on
June 9, some Indian officials in Doha tried to outreach Taliban factions that
are perceived as being “nationalist” or outside the sphere of influence of
Pakistan. Peace talks or dialogue even with terrorist ideologues is sometimes
sought after. But such an outreach should be backed by an assessment on their
ground activities, changes and dynamics. Whether the nice pieces of suggestion
for India to engage with Afghan Taliban are insightful or untenable can be
gauged by the fact that the Taliban remains unchanged and unreformed, as far as
its ideological modus operandi is concerned.
Take a look
at the recently published jihadist literature of the Afghan Taliban in Urdu and
you will stop misreading the situation. Nawa-e-Afghan
Jihad—an Urdu magazine of the Afghan Taliban and AQIS which has previously
been refuted point by point by New Age Islam scholars— was recently renamed as
“Nawa-e-Ghazwa-e-Hind” ostensibly after the U.S.-Taliban deal. Now its focus
is, as a line with the name of the magazine reads in Urdu, to call for
supremacy of the religion [Deen] in the subcontinent and the world over”.
Photo: Cover of Nawa e Ghazwa e Hind, January 2021
-----
At the very outset, the cover-pages of Nawa-e-Ghazwa-e-Hind’s latest editions (from January to April, 2021) signify the shift in jihadist focus from Af-Pak region to Indian subcontinent, especially the Kashmir region. The January 2021 issue of the magazine which was released with a striking cover give an injunction to fight against the Mushrikin (polytheists) of India, quoting a hadith report from Musnad Ahmad which, in a nutshell, says: “In this [Islamic] Ummah, forces will be sent to Sindh and Hind [who will wage a jihad and thus, in return, will ensure their deliverance from the hellfire”.
Photo: Cover of Nawa e Ghazwa e Hind, January 2021 content page
-----
If you go
through the content of this issue and read between the lines, it gives an
indication that now after an apparently successful jihad by the Afghan Taliban
and AQIS against the American forces in Afghanistan, India is the priority
theatre for their ideological and operational onslaughts.
Another
striking cover-page of the magazine’s recent edition (February to April, 2021)
blatantly reads: “From Dhaka to Delhi, and Srinagar to Islamabad; all believers
firmly affirm that they will not bow down to anyone except Allah”. It published
some provocative articles titled, “Indian influence in the Bangladeshi Army”
written by some Muhammad Misbah Bangali, and “Jihad-e-Kashmir” written by Adil
Ahmad Lone who used to regularly write in Nawa-e-Afghan Jihad by the pen name,
Ikrama Shopiani who was recently killed in an encounter according to the
magazine.
Photo: Cover of Nawa e Ghazwa e Hind February to April 2021
-----
Significantly, the Nawa-e-Ghazwa-e-Hind frequently quotes the writings and letters of Syed Ahmad Shaheed—the 18th century pan-Islamist ideologue from Raebareli known for his jihad movement, Tahrik-e-Balakot. Syed Ahmad Raebarelwi (not to be confused with A’ala Hazrat Ahmad Raza Khan Barelwi) is equally venerated by Ahl-e-Hadith and Deobandis in India and Pakistan. Hagiographical books such as Tarikh-e-Dawat-o-Azeemat (a history of Islamic Da’wah and expeditions in India) which glorify Syed Ahmad as ‘Shaheed’ (martyr) are part of the extra-curricular self-study texts in several leading madrasas like Darul Uloom Nadwa in Lucknow. Syed Ahmed ‘Shaheed’ is projected in Urdu Islamic literature as someone waged his Mujahideen movement in India to fight the British imperialism. “Mauj-e-Kausar”, a textbook on the modern history of Indian Muslims’ religious and intellectual achievements, written by Shaikh Muhammad Ikram and studied in several madrasas and Islamic studies departments of central universities, has precisely done that. But an objective study of the Mujahidin movement and literature of Syed Ahmad ‘Shaheed’ reveals that he worked to establish an Islamic state in the subcontinent and waged a militant jihad against non-Muslims. All in all, he was an exponent of Wahhabi puritanism in India and was the first Islamist ideologue to justify violence against the Sikhs. Along with Syed Ahmed ‘Shaheed’, Shah Waliullah and Shah Ismael Dehlawi have also been invoked in several previous issues of the Nawa-e-Ghazwa-e-Hind such as the July 2020 issue of the magazine which targets Jama Masjid in its coverage in order to draw attention of the readers to the ‘lost glory’ and the past grandeur of Islam and people of Islam—Ahl-e-Islam—in India. It recalls the history of Delhi as the sanctuary of thousands of ulema and Mujahidin such as Shah Abdul Azeez and Shah Ismael.
Photo: Cover of Nawa e Ghazwa e Hind, July 2020
-----
Notably,
Shah Ismail of Delhi proved to be the chief proponent of the anti-Shirk
movement spearheaded by Muhammad Ibn Abul Wahab from Najd of the Arabian
Peninsula. Much in the same way as Abul Wahab Najdi wrote his book “Kitab
al-Tawhid”, Maulana Shah Ismail penned the book titled, Taqwiat-ul-Iman
(strengthening the Islamic faith). His books promoted the same line of thinking
that was laid out in the writings of Ibn Abdul Wahab including Majmu’a
Al-Fatawa which declared all non-Wahhabi Muslims as mushrik (polytheists) and
thus justified the killing of the then Indian Muslims along with the Hindus.
Until today, Afghan Taliban of the Deobandi orientation consider both Shah
Ismail Dehlwi and Syed Ahmad Raebarelwi as their theological mentors and
sources (marj’a). It’s more ironical that these jihadist ideologues and their
writings are still going unchallenged in our Indian madrasas. They have become
an inseparable part of the text books under the subject of Aqaid (beliefs) in
Deobandi seminaries.
Nawa-e-Ghazwa-e-Hind
not just promotes the writings of 18th century Islamist ideologues but more of
the radical thoughts of the modern jihadist masterminds. The magazine also runs
a website DawateJihad.com which promotes dangerous publications and books written
by Al-Qaeda’s founding members and Afghan Taliban’s chief clerics including
Abdullah Azzam, Mulla Akhtar Mansoor, Maulana Waliur Rahman Mahsood and Ustad
Usama Mahmood etc. In an Urdu booklet titled, Islam Tera Des Hai written by
Ustad Usama Mahmood which was also presented in a podcast in Urdu &
Bangla—it is reiterated:
ہمیں
یاد رکھنا چاہیے کہ اسلام اور شرک ایک دوسرے کی ضد ہیں۔ اسلام انسانوں کے رب کی
طرف سے دیا ہوا عظیم نور ہے جبکہ شرک اندھیرا اورنری جاہلیت ہے۔ ہم ہاتھ پر ہاتھ
دھرے بیٹھ کر’ ہندو مسلم بھائی بھائی‘ کے سفید جھوٹ اور مذہبی رواداری کے فریب پر
اعتماد نہیں کر سکتے
ہمیں یہ حقیقت
تسلیم کرنی ہوگی کہ مشرک ہندو کبھی بھی مسلمانوں کےخیر خواہ نہیں ہوسکتے ہیں ۔
اللہ کی کتاب بتاتی ہے کہ یہود کے بعد مسلمانوں کے بدترین دشمن یہی مشرکین ہیں۔
(“We must remember
that Islam and polytheism are contradictory to each other. Islam is the great
light given by the Lord of mankind, while polytheism is nothing but darkness
and ignorance. We cannot sit quietly relying on the white lies of 'Hindu-Muslim
brotherhood’ and the deception of 'religious tolerance' [in India]…."We
have to accept the fact that polytheistic Hindus can never be benevolent to
Muslims. The Book of Allah states that after the Jews, polytheists are the
worst enemies of Muslims).
Then the
booklet quotes some verses from Qur’an to buttress this point, and reproduces
an “advice for Mujahideen
around the world and especially in Pakistan and Kashmir” in which Mujhadidin
are asked to stick to the principles of Shariah, and not attack mosques and
innocent civilians, which it says gives opportunity to Indian and Western media
to defame jihad.
In this
context, one would recall the Indo-Afghan Ulema’s first Islamic summit which
was held in New Delhi’s India Islamic Cultural Centre last in December, 2020
with the efforts of the Afghan Embassy in India. A group of six Afghan Ulema
interacted with the Ulema of Deoband and other experts of Islamic
Sharia in India. The aim of the conference was to strengthen religious
dialogue and cultural ties between the two countries’ Ulema and encourage them
to discuss the Islamic doctrines being misused, especially in Afghanistan.
Nearly all Islamic scholars from Indian and Afghanistan in this conference
declared war in Afghanistan un-Islamic and theologically unjustifiable and forbidden
according to the Sharia. But what do the Indian Ulema think about the
resurgence of Afghan Taliban now?
Recently a
number of Indian Ulema and Imams expressed concerns over the rise of Afghan
Taliban on social media. Of course, some of them lamented the Taliban’s
violation of Islamic laws particularly regarding women and modern education.
But they were also rejected by another set of Ulema, predominantly Deobandis
and comparatively larger in number and with more sizeable following than those
who decried the Taliban’s terror activities.
An alumnus
of Darul Uloom Deoband and senior Urdu journalist, Wadood Sajid Qasmi wrote an
article condemning the rocket attack in Kabul during Eid ul-Adha prayers.
Though he did not condemn Taliban
head-on and merely hinted at an ideological change within the Taliban which he
deemed as a threat, a large number of Ulema and Islamist intellectuals in India
and in the diaspora rebuffed his note of caution. Wadood Sajid’s piece was
criticised by several influential Ulema mostly young graduates from
Ahl-e-Hadith and Deobandi schools. For instance—Maulana Yasir Nadeem-ul-Wajidi,
alumnus of Darul Uloom Deoband who also runs an online Darul Uloom and is based
in Chicago, wrote a rebuttal to Wadood Sajid. Indian Ulema like Wajidi consider
Taliban only Talaba (madrasa students), not terrorists or extremists and accuse
the Aalims like Wadood Sajid of deviating from the right path. Another young
Deobandi cleric, Obaid-Tariq Jamshedpuri writes: “Basically there are two types
of Jihad: Intellectual Jihad and Physical Jihad. Ulema are doing Intellectual
Jihad and Mujahidin the Physical. Both are doing their own duties”.
Though Sufi
and Shia Ulema in the Indian subcontinent have traditionally rebuffed Taliban
because of its systematic attacks on their mosques and Sufi shrines, some
favourable sentiments among a section of Indian Ulema towards the resurgence of
Afghan Taliban—based on the deep sectarian divides among them—do not augur
well.
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URL: https://www.newageislam.com/radical-islamism-jihad/nawae-afghan-jihad-ghazwa-hind-/d/125159
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